One Year Later

One year ago I experienced for the first time ever walking with both legs at the same length. Not only were both legs finally the same length but I had two normal hips, though one was made of titanium and porcelain, either way February 14th, 2011 was a joyous day.

I've talked a fair amount about the things leading up to surgery, and even recounting everything from that day.

A year ago I wouldn't have thought that with my new hip I would have done as much as I have.  I wouldn't have even began to think that I would have done a two mile walk less than  eight weeks after surgery. Or that I could walk all over SC campus for the first time without missing a beat, less than eight weeks after surgery.  I wouldn't even believe you if you told me that my best friend's would take me River Fest for the first time just because I wanted to walk around.

This past year has been a roller coaster ride.  There were many times when I thought I couldn't do it and had lots of break downs, but I pulled through.  If there's anything that this last year has taught me, it's been this: I can do anything. With the help of God holding me up when I needed it most, and letting me figure things out, I've managed to overcome so many obstacles.

How am I celebrating my one year anniversary? Walking on ice through the parking lot to get to school after nearly falling at least five times and now staying in to study for my four exams this week.  I am however very appreciative of my awesome friends, family and God; without them I'm not sure what I would do.

Link of the day: Valentine's Day History, it's kind of interesting to see where it orginated from, that it's not just something that Hallmark thought up one day and decided it would be a thing from then on.

Days until Valentine's Day: 0
Days until graduation: 94
Days until moving day: 180

then and now

Tomorrow morning one of my best friends goes into surgery on her ankle.  Today we spent breakfast and lunch talking about it (her surgery) and my hip replacement.  As I was doing some errands, waiting on a stoplight to change to green, I realized that my hip replacement was the first surgery that I had been treated like an adult.  Granted, the nurses had no idea in the world how to treat me otherwise, considering they were all used to patients at the youngest fifty for a joint surgery.

As I've mentioned in posts past, the surgeries I've had pre-hip were done at a children's hospital where they are obviously very used to working with kids and now the tricks on how to keep them calm and things like that.  The nurses comforted me in a way that I knew things would be okay and my parents were only at a short word away.  When I had my hip replaced, I can remember clear as anything when I started to come out of anesthesia , I started crying because I wanted my mom, naturally as you do when you come out of a major surgery intended for an old woman instead of a seventeen year old.  The nurses I remember, were basically "ohgreatwhatdowedoshewantshermombutwerenotsupposedtobringfamilybackbutshescryingandshesonlyseventeen".  Needless to say, they sent a nurse to get my mom.

Also, pre-hip, in post op I didn't have an oxygen mask to wear.  Of which, I might add, I don't like to wear AT ALL, because I can't talk with it on...Post hip, the nurses kept getting onto me because I kept taking the mask off of my face, and finally after I told them that I wasn't wearing the damn mask they gave me a nasal cannula to put in my nose, of which I also didn't like, but I could at least talk with it on.

Another difference is the fact that when my parents left me, I was just on my own.  At Shriner's, a nurse would always stop in until I would go to sleep to see how I was.  Post hip, the only time I saw my nurses was if I called for them to help me out of bed and walk to the bathroom, to give me medicine or check my vitals.  I have to admit, that was the first time that I really felt like an adult, was the first night when my parents left me to go home and I was there by myself.  Although, considering the medicines I was on, I was mostly asleep.

A long running joke we've had through the last few months post hip, is about the Klondike bar.  When I was in Shriner's my parents basically bribed me with Klondike bars, basically because it was the only thing in the vending machine upstairs and it was one of the only things that got me motivated to do anything.  Like go the extra five feet walking without crutches, or doing an extra set of physical therapy.  I didn't get a Klondike bar once throughout my recovery from hip replacement.

Today was awesome because: I got to sleep in an extra hour this morning, thank goodness for late start Wednesdays at our school!

Current location: the blue comfy couch in the living room
days until ACT: 3
days until NaNoWriMo begins: 12
days until the fall musical: 29
days until I become an adult: 80
days until graduation: 213

BEDA 28: the worries never worried over

Preface: Once again, no editing, just words and thoughts and stuff.

I don't know how I ended up on a Q&A page on hip replacements, it seems to happen often at random times, and it got me thinking.

I didn't even know exactly what happened when they do a total hip replacement, but yet, I didn't bother even to ask anyone or SURPRISE, research it on the internet.  I didn't even worry about things, except maybe if it was truly going to take away my pain and discomfort and I didn't worry about that much because I trusted my surgeon, Dr. Cusick and I knew he wasn't going to muck anything up.  My parents did a pretty damn good job at keeping me clueless so I wouldn't get scared out of it.  But I think, even if I had known some of the information I know now, that I still would have gone through it fearless like I did.

It's sad to think that I was in so much pain and discomfort that I didn't even worry over anything remotely significant about the surgery.  I was happy about it for the most part.  I had accepted it and above all else, like I've mentioned before, I wanted it done.

When it comes to my hip, over the years I've become pretty fearless.  Most things that doctors have thrown around didn't remotely scare me.  And yet, here I am, still thinking about what I would be like if I hadn't had the surgery.

One doctor had the audacity to tell me I had to live with it for the rest of my life.  Time and time again, I've wanted to go back and show him how much better I am since he told me hip replacement was a bad idea at age 17.  But part of me wonders what would have been if I did just "live with it".  Eventually, like all things, I'd learn to live with it.  I mean, I've had a hip "problem" for the majority of my life, and I made do. I lived my childhood.  But it scares me think of going out into the world after graduating with that severe of a problem.

...abrupt ending, but that's all I've got for today.

days until the fall musical: 49
days until I become an adult: 131
days until graduation: 265
steps taken today: absolutely no idea, I forgot to put my pedometer on today...*hides in shame*

BEDA 12: 50 random facts about me

Today was actually really eventful, but considering that one of my best friends who I basically call my little sister is staying over for the night...after she helped me clean my room.  But the reason why I'm not blogging about my day, because I actually had a nice blog planned out, is because my brain really can't function to write all of it out. So you're getting a cliche Facebook type note for a blog post to read today.

1. I'm ginger.
2. For people my age around here, I seem to be pretty tall.
3. I love to go fishing.
4. My family means everything to me.
5. I'm a Lutheran.
6. I love drinking hot tea, especially in the morning.
7. I can't stand coffee.
8. I love coloring in coloring books.
9. Being outdoors always wins over being indoors.
10. I love going on walks.
11. Back in 6th and 7th grade I used to play volleyball.
12. I had my first hip surgery when I was eight.
13. My brother and I are fifteen years apart.
14. If I wasn't disabled, I would probably go into the Marine Corp.
15. I enjoy writing, but can never stick to a specific project for long.
16. I love watching Doctor Who even though half the time I don't understand hardly anything.  There's just something I love about Doctor Who.
17. I can't decide on my favorite Doctor...
18. I named my car Carson so I could call it Car for short.
19. I name inanimate objects that either I work with a lot or mean a lot to me.
20. I get really touchy when it comes to the word crippled.
21. Harry Potter was a major part of my childhood, it got me through a lot of rough times that I don't think would have ended up the same if it weren't for J.K. Rowling and her amazing writing.
22. My favorite colors bounce between orange, yellow, green and teal. I guess it depends on my mood.
23. I have a feeling I might end up living in L.A. in the future for a while, or California in general.
24. I want to get my doctorate in history.
25. I'm okay with the thought that I may never get married.
26. I tend to get along better with men than women.
27. My favorite food dish is fish and chips.
28. One of my role models is my mother, she's an incredibly tough woman.
29. I actually really really enjoy blogging...I just need to pretend every day is BEDA so I'll actually post at a regular schedule.
30. I'm a second year (policy) debater.
31. I freaking love sticky notes.
32. My mantra is: You can never have too many books or fishing lures.
33. I tend to use quite a few British phrases/words...it throws my friends off.
34. I just recently with in the last year completely stopped spelling things with an ou on school assignements: favorite instead of favourite.
35. I once wanted to be in the film industry...but not acting.
36. There was also one time when I wanted to be a stage actor.
37. Thanks to John Green's, An Abundance of Katherines, I really like the name Katherine.
38. I have a maroon BlackBerry Curve that I named Agnes, but call Aggie for short. All because of my random love of Texas A&M University.
39. I love music, it's in my opinion the best communication.
40. I over think things far too much.
41. I read TIME magazine faithfully.
42. I'm really excited for this project that my "sister" and I are working on. Details should be up some what soon...I hope.
43. I'm a proud nerdfighter. :)
44. I refer to my hair as The Mane.
45. Over 75% of my music on my ipod is classic country.
46. If I could live any where in the world besides the United States, I would live in Scotland or Denmark.
47. I love the idea of coming back to my high school in the future and teaching.
48. I don't mind peeing outside.
49. I love to travel.
50. If asked, I'll give my brutal honest opinion.

So there you have it, 50 random facts about me...some of them might be a bit obvious, but I tried to share things that you wouldn't necessarily know.  I guess this pretty much sums up today. RANDOM.

Today was awesome because: 1) I got to help decorate the senior hallway today AND 2) I now have a clean and organized room.

days until senior year starts: 4

days until I become an adult: 147

days until graduation: 280

steps taken today: 6,819